


A Sleepy Morning And A Surprise Attack

by my_dear_holmes



Series: My Merlin one-shots [3]
Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Ambushes and Sneak Attacks, Arthur Knows About Merlin's Magic (Merlin), BAMF Merlin (Merlin), Fights, Hugs, M/M, Swordfighting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-02
Updated: 2021-01-02
Packaged: 2021-03-12 07:02:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,341
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28506399
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/my_dear_holmes/pseuds/my_dear_holmes
Summary: Merlin and Arthur are enjoying a peaceful morning in the woods together. But of course something had to ruin it.
Relationships: Merlin/Arthur Pendragon (Merlin)
Series: My Merlin one-shots [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2096334
Comments: 4
Kudos: 100





	A Sleepy Morning And A Surprise Attack

The forest was peaceful in the early morning. Birds sang a sweet soundtrack from perches high in the trees, which were just starting their transition from summer to autumn. The sky was a collage of greens, yellows and warm oranges, with the odd patch of pale blue where the canopy didn’t completely hide the bright sky above. Morning sun streamed through the gaps in the transplant leaves and made a spotlight for the spiralling dust, a falling leaf or seed occasionally making a star appearance.

Among all the silence lay Merlin and Arthur. They were led under a large oak, their horses chewing slowly on the vegetation nearby. Arthur's head rested on Merlin's chest, and Merlin's arm was draped over his lean, muscular body. The prince was still fast asleep while his boyfriend and manservant dozed, one hand still while the other ran through Arthur's light hair. The quiet was like thin glass, beautiful and delicate.

Then it shattered with the snap of a breaking twig.

Merlin was barely awake when he heard it. He brushed the sleep from his eyes and gently shook Arthur's shoulder to wake him. He ignored him and turned over, but Merlin persisted. He could feel someone watching them. Arthur eventually woke.

"Merlin, You’d better have a good reason for waking me like that," he complained, his voice rough from sleep.

"Believe me, I would have stayed like that all day," said Merlin, sounding serious despite his teasing comment, "but I heard something and I think we should scout out the area."

"Probably just one of your funny feelings again," Arthur moaned, but he reached for his sword and got to his feet, Merlin stumbling after him. Before he could go anywhere, though the attack started with an arrow landing inches away from Arthur’s head. Men emerged as if from nowhere, closing in from all sides. They were laden with weapons, swords and axes on their waists, knives strapped to their legs and bows slung over their shoulders. Arthur tried to get a number, but lost count after ten.

"Gather more weapons," Arthur told Merlin. "I'll cover you."

Merlin ran over to their bags, just round the other side of the tree. He picked up his own sword, two crossbows, and a handful of arrows. He hooked one crossbow on to his belt and rushed to help Arthur.

The prince was already overwhelmed by the time Merlin had returned with the extra weapons. The clash of swords was harsh against Merlin's ears as Arthur grew more tired with each attack and defence. One bandits lay unmoving on the floor already, but plenty still remained, standing back. Merlin knew that the only way they could survive was to use magic. But with the bandits moving constantly, circling the prince, Merlin couldn’t be sure to hit the right person. And if Arthur stopped even for a second, the men would have time to strike. He had to lead them away from their camp. There was only one thing for it...

"Hey!" he yelled. "Over here, you stinking cowards!"

At least six ugly faces turned to look at where the yell had come from. Merlin regretted his decision the moment he called out, but he needed to get the brutes away from Arthur, who was practically defenceless compared to Emrys himself.

"Merlin! Don't be! Stupid!" Arthur said in between deflecting blows.

"Sorry Arthur, stupid is just a part of my charm," Merlin replied, glancing around nervously, trying to calculate the safest and most effective route to take their attackers. There was only one thing for it. He had to go to the Valley of the Fallen Kings.

He heard a distant call of his name from behind him, but didn't dare turn around in risk of falling over. He didn't know how many people were following, but by the sound of the heavy footsteps, quite a few were on his tail. Trees and branches flicked through the sides of his vision as he swerved and dodged to find the best route through the undergrowth. The orange leaves soon turned to mossy stone as he entered the valley. The walls of rock kept rising as he ran between the jagged walls, fragments of stone skidding from under his feet, making Merlin cautious of his footing.

Eventually he reached a dead end. The attackers created an arc around him, holding their weapons high. "You're trapped," growled a particularly hairy bandit.

"You're mistaken," Merlin grinned. "It's you that's trapped." He raised his hand, and with a flash of gold, they flew backwards and hit the tall walls of rock. The men lay slumped on the ground, heads lolling and limbs arranged awkwardly around their still bodies. _All that running for one simple spell,_ he thought. _What a waste of energy._

His attention was caught suddenly by a distant noise. Multiple heavy boots on the ground, and a shout. The noise became louder, as if the person was coming closer. More bandits? No. Merlin knew that voice anywhere. Arthur had come after him, trapping himself in here with the remaining bandits. The image of a surround Arthur formed in his mind and he took off immediately in the direction he had come, straining his ears for any other signs of his boyfriend.

\-----

Although he would never admit it, Arthur was terrified. Not for himself, but for Merlin. Sure, he'd run out if arrows and his arms ached from the pressure of combat. And sure, Merlin was one of - if not _the_ \- most powerful sorcerer in the world. But that didn't stop Arthur from worrying. He called out Merlin's name again, loud as he could whilst running at full speed. His voice cracked as he ran, the impact of the hard rock jolting his insides. The call echoed through the thin valleys, but no voice replied. The worry that gnawed in the prince's gut became almost painful as he imagined the hundreds of reasons Merlin might not be okay.

His thoughts came back to earth when he heard the sound of heavy footsteps behind him. _Damn,_ Arthur thought, _I thought I'd lost them._ There had still been two men left when he took off after Merlin. Arthur had believed he was able to outrun them. Apparently they were more agile than they looked. Arthur just kept running. They were heavy and cumbersome. If Arthur could keep running long enough-

The path was a dead end. A circle was cut out of the stone like an arena. There was nowhere to run. Prince Arthur skidded to a halt. He stared up at the wall of stone, wishing for a doorway or a ladder or _anything_ to appear. But the walls stayed stubbornly unclimbable. Two large men, one with an axe and the other holding a mace, stood in the way of his only exit. He was trapped.

Arthur raised his sword ready to defend himself. His arms could hardly bear the weight after the relentless fighting, but he had to hold out for just one more fight. For Merlin.

Before Arthur could strike, the men were pushed to opposite sides of the circular passage. They both crumpled as they hit the hard stone, slipping down the smooth walls before going still. And a little further down the passage stood Merlin, his hand still raised, looking ragged and out of breath. Merlin barely had time to lower his arm before Arthur was embracing him tightly.

"Thank the Gods you're okay," Arthur muttered into his ear.

"I was always going to be fine, Arthur." He replied. "I'm the most powerful warlock ever to live."

"Doesn't stop me worrying," Arthur said. His voice was hardly a whisper now and his voice cracking with emotion.

"I know. But I'm fine." He tightened his hug. He kissed Arthur on his neck, and smelled sweat and armour along with his usual lavender soap. "Nice fighting by the way."

"Nice spell," Arthur replied, pressing his lips to Merlin's jaw. "That what you do to the other guys?"

Merlin simply hummed in reply.

**Author's Note:**

> happy new year everyone, hope 2021 is good to ya!!


End file.
